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SmartTube supports casting from your phone, tablet, or other devices using a TV code pairing system.

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How Casting Works

Unlike the official YouTube app, SmartTube does not automatically appear in your casting list. You must manually link devices using a TV code.

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Why Manual Pairing?

The official YouTube app uses Google’s proprietary casting protocol that automatically discovers devices on the same network. SmartTube:
  • Uses YouTube’s TV code system instead
  • Provides more control over linked devices
  • Works without Google Play Services
  • Maintains privacy (no automatic network scanning)
Trade-off: You need to pair devices once, but then casting works seamlessly.

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Pairing Your Phone and TV

1

Open SmartTube on Your TV

Launch SmartTube on your Android TV and navigate to the Settings menu (gear icon).
2

Access Remote Control Settings

Select “Remote control” (typically the 2nd option in the settings menu).A TV code will be displayed on your screen. Keep this screen open.
3

Open YouTube on Your Phone

On your smartphone or tablet, open the official YouTube app (or YouTube in a web browser).
4

Navigate to YouTube Settings

In the YouTube app:
  • Tap your profile picture in the top right
  • Go to Settings
  • Select General
  • Tap “Watch on TV”
5

Enter the TV Code

  • Tap “Connect using TV code” (sometimes called “Link with TV code”)
  • Enter the code displayed on your TV screen
  • Tap “Connect” or “Link”
6

Confirmation

Your phone and TV are now linked! The TV will appear as a casting destination in your YouTube app.
See the screenshot guide for visual step-by-step instructions.

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Casting Videos

Once paired, casting is simple:
1

Ensure SmartTube is Open

Important: SmartTube must be already running on your TV. It cannot automatically wake up the TV.
2

Find the Cast Icon

Open a video in the YouTube app on your phone. Look for the cast icon (rectangle with WiFi waves) at the top of the screen.
3

Select Your TV

Tap the cast icon and select your SmartTube device from the list.
4

Video Plays on TV

The video will start playing on your TV through SmartTube. You can control playback from your phone.

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Compatible Apps

You can cast to SmartTube from:

Official YouTube App

The standard YouTube app for iOS and Android works perfectly with SmartTube’s casting feature.

YouTube Website

Cast from YouTube in your web browser (desktop or mobile) using the cast button.

YouTube Music

YouTube Music app supports casting to SmartTube for music videos and audio.

Third-Party Apps

Apps like ReVanced or NewPipe that support YouTube’s cast protocol should work.

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Casting Controls

When casting to SmartTube, you can control:
  • Play/Pause - Start and stop playback
  • Seek - Jump to different parts of the video
  • Volume - Adjust volume (if supported by your setup)
  • Queue - Add videos to the queue
  • Next/Previous - Skip between queued videos
Your phone acts as a remote control while casting. The video plays on the TV, but you control it from your phone.

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Limitations

SmartTube’s casting has some technical limitations to be aware of:

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Must Open App First

SmartTube cannot automatically wake up your TV or launch itself when you try to cast. This is a technical limitation due to SmartTube not using Google’s proprietary casting protocol. Workaround:
  1. Turn on your TV
  2. Open SmartTube
  3. Then cast from your phone

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Performance May Vary

Casting and voice search performance may be inferior to official apps, depending on your device.
Factors affecting casting performance:
  • Your WiFi network quality
  • TV device processing power
  • Network congestion
  • Distance from router
Tips for better performance:
  • Use 5GHz WiFi instead of 2.4GHz when possible
  • Keep your router close to the TV
  • Reduce network congestion (pause other downloads)
  • Ensure both phone and TV are on the same network

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Cannot Discover Automatically

Unlike the official app, SmartTube won’t automatically appear when you open the cast menu. You must pair devices first using the TV code method described above.

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Troubleshooting

Solutions:
  1. Ensure you’ve completed the TV code pairing process
  2. Verify both devices are on the same WiFi network
  3. Make sure SmartTube is currently open on your TV
  4. Try restarting both the TV app and phone app
  5. Re-pair using a new TV code
Try these steps:
  1. Double-check you entered the code correctly
  2. Ensure the code hasn’t expired (generate a new one)
  3. Check your internet connection on both devices
  4. Update SmartTube to the latest version
  5. Update the YouTube app on your phone
Possible causes and solutions:
  • WiFi issues: Move closer to router or use 5GHz band
  • Network congestion: Pause other devices using bandwidth
  • TV going to sleep: Adjust TV sleep settings
  • SmartTube closing: Prevent your TV from force-closing background apps
Quality optimization:
  1. Check your WiFi speed (use fast.com)
  2. Switch to 5GHz WiFi if available
  3. Reduce casting quality in YouTube app settings
  4. Move router closer to TV
  5. Reduce the number of devices on your network
Troubleshooting:
  1. Ensure the cast connection is still active (check cast icon)
  2. Restart the YouTube app on your phone
  3. Check if SmartTube is still running on TV
  4. Disconnect and reconnect the cast
  5. Re-pair devices if issues persist

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Managing Linked Devices

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Viewing Linked Devices

To see which devices are linked to your SmartTube:
  1. Open SmartTube Settings
  2. Go to “Remote control”
  3. View the list of linked devices

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Unlinking Devices

To remove a device from casting:
  1. In SmartTube Settings > Remote control
  2. Select the device you want to unlink
  3. Choose “Remove” or “Unlink”
You can also unlink devices from your phone’s YouTube app in Settings > General > Watch on TV.

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Multiple TVs

You can link your phone to multiple SmartTube installations:
  1. Pair each TV separately using its unique TV code
  2. Choose which TV to cast to from the cast menu on your phone
  3. Switch between TVs by selecting a different device in the cast menu
Each TV running SmartTube will appear as a separate device in your casting list once paired.

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Casting Queue

Build a playlist while casting:
  1. Cast the first video as normal
  2. Find additional videos in your YouTube app
  3. Tap the cast icon on those videos
  4. Select “Add to queue” instead of playing immediately
  5. Videos play sequentially on your TV
This is perfect for creating a viewing session without returning to your phone constantly!

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Privacy Considerations

SmartTube’s casting uses YouTube’s official pairing system with your Google account.
What’s shared:
  • Your Google account links the phone and TV
  • YouTube knows which videos you’re casting
  • Standard YouTube data collection applies
What’s NOT shared:
  • SmartTube doesn’t add additional tracking
  • No extra data beyond standard YouTube casting
  • Local network scanning is not performed

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Alternatives to Casting

If casting doesn’t work well for you:

Use TV Remote

Search and browse directly on SmartTube using your TV remote - no phone needed.

Voice Search (with Bridge)

Install a bridge app to enable voice search directly on your TV. See the installation guide.

Bluetooth Keyboard

Connect a Bluetooth keyboard to your TV for easier searching and navigation.

USB Keyboard

Use a wired USB keyboard for the most reliable text input on your TV.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Auto-launching requires integration with Google’s proprietary casting protocol, which is not available to third-party apps without Google Play Services. SmartTube uses YouTube’s TV code system instead, which doesn’t support auto-launch.
Yes! The TV code pairing method works with the YouTube app on iPhones and iPads. Follow the same steps as Android.
No, once paired, devices remain linked until you manually unlink them. You only need to pair once per device.
Yes, you can pair multiple phones to the same SmartTube installation. Each phone can cast independently.
No, casting requires an internet connection to stream videos from YouTube’s servers. Both devices must be online and on the same network.
For the best experience, ensure both your phone and TV have strong WiFi signals and are using the latest versions of their respective apps.

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